Monks Everywhere; a Look at Eternity Warriors 3

Monks have always been a great character choice in a large variety of games -though they do end up filling in a wide variety of roles. Much of this comes from the fact that many western game developers are pretty much confused with figuring out what kind of traits this very eastern character class actually has. After all, martial arts does not exactly peg if a character is strong and tough, or fast and agile (or both), there's also plenty of mysticism too. In Eternity Warriors 3, the monks are fast, have plenty of great passive skills, and can hit very, very hard. They're a great choice for anyone too tired of playing the usual fighter type (and have not yet unlocked the buxom elvish mage).

Eternity What?

In the event that you stumbled into here not actually knowing what Eternity Warriors 3 is, here is the quick gist: this is a mobile game that basically rips-off Diablo. While that may sound like a bad thing, it is not. Diablo has a great gameplay mechanic, and that makes it a great basis for many other dungeon crawlers. There are a wide variety of enemies, item drops come about often (but not quite enough), and of course, there are plenty of maps to explore. Visually, the game is quite pretty, though not quite the best looking in the genre, it will be enough to keep you interested and satisfy.

Sadly, as good as Eternity Warriors 3's game foundations are, it manages to luck out on some of the more important features. Online multiplayer is a big downer with the lack of a cooperative or competitive online mode -the social integration is only for chat and nothing more. This takes a big chunk of fun out of being able to collect more loot for your character as there are lesser chances to show off your gear. Another drawback is, of course, the massive paywall of gem-requisite upgrades and items (such as for expanding your inventory size and getting gold items).

Countering, Dodging, and Staying Still

Monks can do a lot of things, work magic, punch (and kick) pretty hard, and move around quite fast. One of the things they cannot do so much is take damage. This is where the game's natural counter abilities come into play. Sure it takes a bit of timing and plenty of patience; but once you get it to work, it starts becoming part of your repertoire.

The next best thing (and your number one go-to skill in any given boss fight) is the monk's dodge ability. This move will not only allow you dodge a hit from an enemy, but it will also give your character invulnerability frames for a good long bit. This is extremely useful especially when dealing with pretty dangerous scenario and you just need to catch a breather in order to get back on your feet. With a 50 energy cost and only 4 seconds to cooldown, expect this to be a critical part of your available skills anytime.

There are also times when you actually need to take a hit -such as when a boss type does a large area damage attack and dodging just is not worth it. In this case, learn to rely on damage building skills such as the Combat Mantra orbs and Precision Strike. Do not forget to make use of the movement speed upgrade as well.

The Verdict: Monks are For Damage

Without much in terms of armor, the Monk class in Eternity Warriors 3 is a pretty straightforward character to build -go for any items that raises your speed, evasion, and of course, DPS. At the same time, a bit of practice is required if you plan on chaining Qi Vortex with the Seven Star fist (though we just prefer spamming Vaj'ra attack till our fingers hurt) since this game does care about timing quite a lot.

As a game overall, Eternity Warriors 3 is a fun single player affair. With the lack of a multiplayer mode, the game does miss out on providing players with a better game experience (and many of the bosses seem to be fit for several players to take on at once). Bottom line: if you want a simple, straightforward dungeon crawler and don't mind missing out on some of the experience of multiplayer warrior games - http://www.skyrim.com then this is the game for you.